Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background will be described in relation to rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, as an example. Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have improved safety and high performance characteristics such as high capacities, high rates, long cycle lives, and wide temperature ranges. These characteristics are needed for a variety of applications such as electric vehicles, aircraft, and consumer electronics, for example. The electrolytes used for current Li-ion batteries, however, are highly flammable and this play a key role in battery safety. Too often, flammability is reduced at the expense of performance by the use of non-flammable compounds that negatively impact performance. The development of a non-flammable electrolyte that does not reduce battery performance is needed.